# A multivalent vaccine for Staphylococcus aureus

> **NIH VA I01** · VETERANS HEALTH ADMINISTRATION · 2020 · —

## Abstract

Staphylococcus aureus is a gram positive bacteria that possesses a multitude of virulence
factors. It is a frequent and severe pathogen in hospitals and of increasing concern in the
community, where it results in severe skin infections, pneumonia, sepsis and lethal
bacterial endocarditis. A significant proportion of these infections are the result of
methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA). We have developed a highly immunogenic
prototype nanoparticle vaccine capable of rapidly eliciting antibody against the pore
neutralizing determinant (PND) within alpha toxin (AT), a ubiquitous and critical
virulence factor of MRSA. Previous work has demonstrated that Ab against the PND is
highly efficacious in preventing tissue injury and bacterial growth in a rigorous mouse
dermonecrosis model, and in protecting mice in a lethal model of S. aureus pneumonia.
In this project, we will utilize the human hepatitis core antigen platform to develop
nanoparticle vaccines capable of neutralizing the key leukotoxins including gamma
toxin, Panton Valentine leukocidin, LukED and LukGH, which are critical, secreted
virulence factors which enable S. aureus to evade host immunity, and a nanoparticle
vaccine targeting the previously validated PND of AT. The vaccines emerging from
these studies will be uniquely effective against MRSA infections and will ideally be the
basis of an efficacious, multivalent nanoparticle vaccine for MRSA.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9784012
- **Project number:** 1I01BX004720-01
- **Recipient organization:** VETERANS HEALTH ADMINISTRATION
- **Principal Investigator:** JON OSCHERWITZ
- **Activity code:** I01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** VA
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** —
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2019-10-01 → 2023-09-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9784012

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9784012, A multivalent vaccine for Staphylococcus aureus (1I01BX004720-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9784012. Licensed CC0.

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